The 5 Best After-Work Activities to Revitalise Body and Mind

Normally, we are so busy every day that all we want to do when we get home is lay on the couch. Even the smallest things seem to be a hard task. But laziness just leads to apathy if you don’t kick yourself into some action.
These are some of the best activities and habits you could follow which will help you wake up fresh and renewed in the morning.

1. Go for a good run

It is proved beyond doubt that exercise releases chemicals to help you think, relax and then leads to better creativity whether that is an idea or solving a business problem.

Right after work, before you even have time to switch on the TV or tweet, get running. We don't do this nearly enough! But just 20 minutes run round your local park will help you to smooth the transition between the work and evening time. You don’t even have to do it every day; to start, pick alternative days or just a couple of evenings.

2. Spend quality time with your children

Before the proper English winter and weather set in, find some time for "park time" with the kids. After nursery or school, go to the nearest park for around an hour at least two or three times a week. Please leave your tech stuff at home; talking on the phone or typing on an iPad whilst doing this sucks.

Being centred on family and chatting with other parents really stops you worrying about work. Also, just being outside is such a treat!

3. Meditation

30 minutes group meditation is a great way to calm down and reconnect. In most cities there are places now where you can book beforehand and take part. Most are free. It’s recommended that you start by doing so within a group, because if you’re a beginner you will probably find it hard to meditate on your own. However, sitting in a room with 20 people listening to whale music for 30 minutes is more rewarding than you think.

4. Take Part in a Meetup

Meetup is the world's largest network of local groups. It makes it easy for anyone to organize a local group or find one of the thousands already meeting up face-to-face. There are thousands of them every day! So why not pick your favourite hobbies and meet up with peers for a good chat? The key is personal networking and interaction, and it’s always worth it to get different points of views and impressions from others. The topics can vary from business to personal purposes, including music, food, traveling or even dating.

Remember: Do not use your smartphone while attending. You’re there to make the best of human interaction! It is also rude and discouraging especially if you’re meeting someone for the first time.

5. Plan a good sleep

Is it really worth you staying up late watching TV or checking your emails compulsively? You’d be better off preparing yourself to sleep in a comfortable way. Our vital REM phase allows us to remain calm while our brain re-processes the day’s experiences, so if we’re woken too early the next day we will end up being more anxious and stressed.

It’s a good idea to get an app such as Sleep Cycle (available on iTunes), that wakes you up naturally when your REM phase has finished.

All of these things need take only a small amount of time and they are all worth a try. You will find soon enough that your evening is fulfilled and you sleep better. This will have a great impact on your productivity, both physically and mentally. And the best part of it all is that you will be able to properly unplug whilst doing so. Which after work activities are you into?